Google is obsoleting their phones like their browsers. Should learn a thing or two from iOS. My iPhone 3GS from 2009 is still rocking with 2011 iOS 5 and will probably support iOS 6 from 2012. Thats 3 years of major upgrades!Reply

Except Google was still selling the Nexus One to carriers in Canada well into mid 2011. If you bought your brand new Nexus One a mere six months ago, you'd probably be pretty pissed off not to be getting any OS newer than 2.3.4 (at least for Videotron customers).

The fact that some Nexus One customers will never get even 2.3.6 is one of the major flaws of Google allowing carriers to mess with releases.Reply

Agreed, what a complete PR disaster. It's no surprise when many of the bigger Android OEMs think it's fine to orphan their phones from new releases in favour of pushing their latest model when Google behaves this way. They haven't said that it is a hardware limitation, just that it is "too old", and this is simply not good enough when Apple have set the bar so high with their iOS updates, which despite the sneering from some quarters do a sterling job and support theircustomers far better. I guess you get what you pay for in the end. Oh, and relying on a user community and Cyanogenmods is not a realistic prospect for 99.9% of users, especially corporate ones (if any corporates used the Nexus One) Reply

That's a good point. The iPhone 3GS could still be selling more per quarter than all the Nexus One's currently in use. Last i read they sold 135k in just over 2 months. There is no financial reason Google should be supporting such a failed device.Reply

It's a pretty big assumption to say that the 3gs will support iOS6 when iOS5 is not even a month old. I'm happy if my phone can get 2 years of OS upgrades. After that I'm looking for a new one anyways.

The thing that no one seems to be pointing out is the last major update to the Nexus One came out February 2011. So the device only actually received 13 months of updates if you bought the phone at launch and 7 months if you bought it in July 2010. This is a major fail on Google's part and they handing more ammunition to Apple.Reply

It's a major fail because Google should be supporting its flagship products for FAR longer than 15 months. It's pathetic. These phones do not suddenly become obsolete after 2 years and the idea that Google does not care to support phones older than 2 years is just embarrassing.

I guess that is what you get with a 90% baked free operating system.Reply

Point is that while we cannot see future, we can sure as hell understand the past, and the past indicates that the 3GS was a better buy and that Google is willing to relegate the N1 and its ilk to the hordes of geeks chanting "CyanogenMod!!" as if that has any significance to the market at large.Reply

Why is the 3Gs a better buy when it was inferior to the N1 in most ever way, except for the apple reasons?

Let's not forget either the reason why the 3GS is even sold - since when has anyone forced apple to sell 2 gen old hardware before? Normally once the new comes in the old disappears from existence off their store.Reply

What are you talking about re: cloud support. Cloud support is STILL not fully integrated into Android, you still can't seamlessly sync your contacts, IM conversations, apps, documents without installing multiple 3rd party apps.

Dropbox etc have been available on iPhone just as long as Android, but doesn't sync contacts or IM conversations (and is also more expensive). As for notifications, that's one tiny feature in thousands of others, are you so blind to reality that you're going to hang your hat on one tiny feature?

I don't know, my Nexus one that I bought in Jan 2010 is still running strong with MIUI on it, I wouldn't call it obsolete. I can get over 2 days worth of battery with normal usage (still original battery) and its customized exactly how I like it. I'm not saying that I wouldn't want ICS, but to call it obsolete is just incorrect, and cyanogen and MIUI (among others) will definitely have a variety of ICS flavors out shortly enough.Reply

My 3GS ran like crap on iOS4. I can't imagine it even being usable with iOS5.

Processing power for phones does not increase like desktops. You may see a 20-30% increase every year or so with a newer CPU or GPU on a desktop, but on phones, we have been seeing closer to 50-100% increase.

The only thing that the 3GS is holding onto is it's half resolution display (compared to the 4) that may allow it to still somewhat function with newer more robust software as time goes on. But not everything is straining to draw an image on the phone so maybe not.

The other thing that was horrid on the 3GS was it's memory. I dumped my 3GS a week prior to iOS5. So when it was running iOS4 and even before that, it could not keep in memory enough of a web page/pdf to not have to keep redrawing/re-downloading it every time you scrolled more than a little bit. This was very annoying having to wait for it to load another section of a pdf as I scrolled. I'm so happy with my Galaxy S2. I use much larger documents on it and have yet to encounter the same issue.

To me, my Galaxy S2 is like a personal computer where you can do just about anything you want and know it is capable of, while my 3GS was more like a public library terminal that allowed you to do many things but not even close to what was capable or even reasonable. I still can't believe I couldn't get my music off my phone when I lost my music on my hard drive using iTunes. Or I couldn't get my contacts out of a backup. The phone was ok (in 2009 to early 2010) but the software was pretty silly. Reply

You're comparing the memory of the 3GS to the memory of a Samsung Galaxy S2? Really? Do you not see the problem with doing that? Of course the Galaxy S2 being a new phone looks good compared to the 3GS.

You can do anything you want on the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Maybe you just couldn't work out how? It's very easy to get music on / off phone and none of the phones I just listed require iTunes at all. Contacts are synced using iCloud. Basically your comment is completely out of date, mistaking old hardware and old software for a true representation of what a company has delivered, which means you are badly, badly misinformed and are making a false comparison.Reply

I always see a lot of comments stating certain tech blogs (Giz, Engadget, Techcrunch) being so pro-Apple that it defines their existence.

While page views definitely do not determine who's right and who's wrong, the size and reach of these blogs make me wonder if there's a mobile tech version of the saying "reality has a left wing bias".Reply

I would call Engadget the Fox News of Tech. I actually love the site when Joshua and crew were there. They were pro Apple, but at least covered other things and had a good podcast.

Now, AOL seems to think there must be one Apple headline a day at least. For instance. In the past three days, there have been 2 headlines about porting a NON WORKING Siri to other devices. Who cares if it doesn't work. That is a page view post.

I deleted Engadget from my bookmarks this morning and will give This Is my next/The Verge a shot.

It's funny that in 10 years, there are only two sites that have been in my bookmarks the whole time... Anandtech and HardOCP. Neither one of them are afraid to speak their mind.Reply

It's got nothing to do with google not *wanting* to support older devices - unlike apple who gets money from selling the phones google doesn't care which phone you use. I think even the cpu is just about fast enough.

I bet it's a simple case of 512mb of flash not being big enough to fit ICS + some apps.Reply

well issue with most phones is majority are not 4g LTE yet outside of the few newer models available.

Most folks getting a new phone will get 4g flavor going forward, so upgrading old one is mute point, unless you have phone in hand and wont be getting upgrade soon. Those folks still under the 2 year contract for their current phone will pray for it.

Stuck with 2.3 for another year and half all those folks that bought one 6 months to a year ago, on those 2 year contract deals.

Whats the % of people that actually go full term 2 year contract deal with their original phone for that so called special deal ?? Id say over all would be less then 15% the other 85% break contract early and upgrade or leave carriers to another brand.Reply

I'm no Apple fanboy - iPhone are the only Apple products I've ever owned. But if Apple cut OS support for a flagship phone that's still under contract people would be going ballistic. I get the Nexus One sucked, but when people buy a subsidized phone with a two year deal there is some expectation that the phone will be supported for the length of the contract.

Of course Google is free to do what it wants, and as consumers we can take note and act accordingly. I just find it a bit sad that there's so little outcry when Apple isn't the company making the decision.Reply

Obviously this sucks. But support not same as new features. I believe Apple even charged for iOS upgrade once...And considering that the phone sold in miserable numbers, no one will actually listen to the owners :( Now HTC Desire.... That is another story.Reply

In the early days of iOS, back when it was called iPhone OS, new software updates (versions 2 and 3) cost $10 for iPod Touch owners, though it was always free for iPhone users. iOS 4 was free to everyone who could install it.Reply

18 months is how long Google expects manufacturers to provide updates for phones. I'm guessing that for the Nexus line it is about the same. ICS will fall outside of that original 18 month window.

The other problems is that ICS is going to soft buttons and has some other upgrades that they feel would not be showcased on the Nexus One well. My guess is that with the unification of tablets and phones going forward, the nexus line will get closer to 2 years of updates.

To those that are comparing this to iOS... just look at the operating systems. The upgrades that are enabled on the 3gs are only mildly CPU taxing. It didn't get the full upgrade really. I'm guessing that Google could also release a neutered version for the Nexus One, but people would complain about that as well.Reply

My late 2009 2nd Gen ipod touch was replaced by the 3rd gen in 2010. It came with iOS 3, I was able to upgrade to iOS 4.21 when Apple cut off all further upgrades due to hardware changes.

Essentially, I got just about 1 year worth of updates.

But for something like the ipod touch, with limited specs, it doesn't really make sense to try and cram more features into it if it slows to a crawl. iOS 4 was notably slower than iOS 3 on the same hardware (for the 3GS as well).

So I'm sure the open source community will port ICS to the first Nexus, but will it run well? Well probably better than what Apple could have done.Reply

If Google isn't willing to support their "own" devices for two+ years what chance do other devices stand? I own a Droid X and I do not honestly expect to get ICS. How pathetic is that? The phone is a little over a year old.

There are plenty of reasons I won't be returning to Android when my contract is up but this software upgrade nonsense is pretty high up on the list.Reply

"Google's decision not to support less-than-two-year-old Nexus One with its newest mobile OS stands in contrast to Apple's strategy for the oldest phone in its lineup, 2009's iPhone 3GS, which received most of iOS 5's new features when the update was released earlier this month"

So this settles it. I'm officially done with Google. Their services are okay to use if free, but when money comes into play they act like experienced conmen.Reply

Adroid is a well-engineered scheme to con people out of their cash, so no surprise they aren't partial to software updates. For Google to benefit, you have to buy an all-new device even if it's not much different from the old one.

In order to lure their victims Google uses fancy names and appealing graphics images of food products, thus attacking you on a subconscious level since noone can live without food. It works like this: food = always good. Ice cream sandwich = food = good, necessary. Need ICS, but no update = okay, off to pay the big bucks to Google since it's the thing to do. It's truly retarded to fall for this.Reply

But very clever for Google, indeed. They've created a demand for things you could live completely without before. And now not only you have to pay several hundred bucks to Google each year, this operating scam system also generates unnecessary internet traffic thus booming the mobile industry. I mean, do you really need to watch the weather widget on your home screen? I don't, but if I went with Google, I'd have to sheel out hundreds of dollars for the hardware, software and wireless services (probably thousands with a contract) to be able to do stupid things like checking weather on the smartphone. Very freaking smart indeed - create new demands people didn't even think they had, persuade them they need it - profit. Brilliant.Reply

If you are really looking for the money-making con-artists, well have you ever wondered why you have to pay hundreds of dollars more for an iPhone over an iPod with nearly identical hardware?

Google wouldn't even be the ones responsible for updating (or not) the Nexus One, which was manufactured by HTC. The more appropriate response from Google would have been "we don't decide which devices will or will not get an upgrade".

Many of the features of ICS aren't even applicable to the Nexus One, or even other fairly recent high-end Android phones. How useful is face unlock without a front-facing camera? How useful is more advanced multi-tasking controls on a device with 256MB of RAM? How many phones even have NFC hardware? Definitely not the Nexus One.Reply

Google does make money from the sale of Android handsets. Any Android handset that comes with Gmail, the Android Market, Google Search etc have paid Google a license per handset to use them.

Of course, every download app later on is also money to Google, (even if free apps) through advertising or purchases.

Someone who has bought a Nexus One doesn't really care whos responsibility it is to update the software. The fact is that nobody has done it, and that's the important point. One company passing the buck to another is weak and irrelevant.

Some features of ICS may not be applicable to the Nexus One as you've said, but I'm assuming there are more than 2 new features on Android 4, probably including numerous security fixes and 'thousands' of other improvements. If I had bought an Android phone 7 months ago, I would not expect to have to miss out on these features. The operating system could easily disable Face recognition if the phone doesn't have a front facing camera, and could easily be configured to cope with differing amounts of RAM. There is basically no excuse for not letting people upgrade their phone.Reply

Wrong. So very wrong. No license fees. Not to Google anyway. Just patent payments from the hardware vendors to Microsoft.

Arguing about making money on downloaded apps is simply ridiculous. That is completely separate from handset sales, and Google isn't any "worse" than Apple (both take 30%).

And there aren't "thousands of new features". There are a handful, and most features added to ICS are more about enabling features for future phones. Some of those features have made it only onto some of the most recent phones.

I suppose you're thinking about all of the "revolutionary" features that made it into iOS 5? Like Siri? The app that used to be in the App store but Apple pulled and took away from users of "old" devices?

Stop painting Google as such a villain and Apple as the saviour of the downtrodden.Reply

After they quit supporting the n800 and n900 fairly quick. But my wife's ~3y 5800 just got a new update a few days ago.

Indeed, I was looking into android as my only viable alternative considering my usage style and it's frightening to see the rate at which manufacturers churn out devices. It's like everybody has 1-2 devices / month and that can only mean that most of the old devices are quickly becoming obsolete. Reply

I'm not worried about Nexus One... How about other Android phones from 2010 or older? :-) I'm sure most of them won't touch version 4 and I found it quite logical, just look at how Honeycomb ran on tablets: do you thing that any CPU or GPU (not to mention the graphic drivers) will support ICS? My bet is only for 2011 models and not all of them (I have a HTC ChaCha and I would put my money that it won't receive ICS...).Reply

Since Google does not control the graphical layer of the OS, they can't never GPU accelerate it.

This is one of the reasons why single core A4 scores almost as fast as dual core Tegras.

This margin vill only expand as Apple use more and more SIMD/GPU/NEON/Apple visual engines stuff in their OS.

Apple can even do this cheaper then Android vendors since they design their own ARM SoC. The A5 is 30% larger then Tegra2 but costs as much as Tegra2. Apple does not need to make a profit on their A processors. Nvidia have to make a profit on their ARMS. So Apple get 30% real estate for "free"Reply

Didn't Google announce at Google I/O that all Android vendors had agreed to support all phones at least 18 month?

IOS was the first mobile OS that delivered major software updates. People seems to forget how it was before 2007.All phones had telephone companies that branded them and preloaded them with crapware. No software updates besides hot fixes.

Kind of a bummer that the N1 isn't going to get the upgrade, but as it was mentioned, the dev community will probably make it happen.Some food for thought. As far as longevity of a device and getting OS upgrades. A good amount of people usually upgrade devices at the end of there contract anyhow, so there's no real concern there. But the majority of users aren't even worried, or even know for that matter, about OS upgrades. There concern is just as long as the device does what they need it to do.I work in IT in a corporate environment with over 2000+ users. We support Android, Apple, and Blackberry on 3 different providers. The users can choose whatever smartphones are offered by the providers. I can tell you this, absolutely no one comes in asking about OS upgrades. And you won't see any Nexus One's or 3GS's, you'll only see the newer phones, except for few older Blackberry's, but those users don't heavily rely on there smartphone. And the amount of Blackberry users is dwindling anyhow.And to think that just a little over a year and a half ago, Blackberry's dominated our environment. Now they are at the bottom of the heap and almost extinct, with iPhones ahead of them and Android phones leading the pack.Reply